White Rabbit - White Ale Recipe Success

[egolds77]

My sister has asked me to brew the beer for her wedding. One of the styles she would like is s wheat beer, in particular White Rabbit - white ale.

I've been reading a book about brewing with wheat and have read about the ingredients of White Ale on the Breweries website but thought I'd ask if anyone has brewed this and got pretty close and was happy with their clone?

What Yeast and hops have you used for your recipe?

My recipe so far is as follows;

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Honey Wheat Beer
Brewer: ELTON GOLDS
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Wheat or Rye Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 26.86 L
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 4.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 16.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 67.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.50 kg Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 9.71 %
2.00 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 38.83 %
2.00 kg Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 38.83 %
13.50 gm Pride of Ringwood [9.00 %] (60 min) Hops 16.3 IBU
5.00 gm Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
5.00 gm Juniper Berries (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
5.00 gm Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
0.65 kg Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 12.62 %
1 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 4 Step, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 4.50 kg
----------------------------
Temperature Mash, 4 Step, Medium Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
6 min Acid rest Add 13.50 L of water at 51.1 C 47.0 C
25 min Protein Rest Heat to 50.0 C over 5 min 50.0 C
12 min Saccharificatioin Heat to 63.0 C over 15 min 63.0 C
15 min Saccharification Heat to 73.0 C over 10 min 73.0 C
5 min Mash Out Heat to 77.0 C over 5 min 77.0 C

 

[egolds77]

Bump

 

[Midnight Brew]

Not an all-grain brewer myself but I would add some flaked corn in there. Always smell this when I walk past the brewery. Also I'd ditch the yeast and culture some from a 6 pack of dark or white ale (same yeast in both) or buy WLP-022 Essex ale yeast. If your bottling, prime the bottle with honey (buy local). I have no idea what the hops are but a random stab, ditch the PoR and use a NZ bittering hop.

Hope that helps

Cheers

 

[super_simian]

Well, I haven't brewed a clone, but I have visited the brewery and a) the yeast is "English", not Chico and b ) they use rolled oats in the mash.

 

[jakub76]

Here's my latest wit recipe version. It's not a white rabbit clone but I did borrow their idea of priming with honey though it doesn't really stand out.

Jeu d'esprit II - Spiced Belgian Wit
24 litres
3.25 kg Wheat Malt
2kg Pilsner Malt
500g Rolled Oats (Supermarket Quick Oats) not cooked

30g Hallertau (Pellets, 3.9% AA) 60mins

15g Corriander Seeds (10g seeds I crushed, 5g ground) 5min
Zest of 2 large navel oranges 5min
1 Star Anise 5min
14g Chamomile Tea (9 tea bags) 5min

WLP400 Belgian Wit

12 IBU based on 69% efficiency (15 IBU Rager)

My last version had the zest of 6 oranges and it was way too prominent so this time it's just 2 oranges. I have used US-05 in the past to ferment a raspberry wheat beer - I bottled a six pack without fruit just to see how it tasted and the US-05 had stripped out all of the flavour...it was very watery and unexciting beer, which of course was good for the raspberries to shine through. I would look at using a different yeast.

 

[Malted]

Pride of Ringwood & US05 - sounds more like an aussie ale with lots of wheat.

I have not had a White Rabbit White Ale nor I have I used PoR, but would have thought a noble hop would suit a wheat better? and a Wheat yeast to drive more banana flavours.
I did a 50:50 ale:wheat & a noble hop (can't remember which), single infusion at 67oC and a Bavarian wheat yeast at 20oC and it was terrific. No honey but heaps of banana. I later did a wheat that was a bit fancier with more ingredients and a double infusion and it was terrible.
Maybe if it was a wheat ale you're going for with a fruit character (maybe would give a honey sense) - maybe use Coopers yeast?

 

[eamonnfoley]

Pride of Ringwood & US05 - sounds more like an aussie ale with lots of wheat.

Because thats what it tastes like! :lol: Not much going on in this beer IMO

 

[egolds77]

Cheers MNB,

I think I read somewhere from a google search that the hops where POR, not something I'd choose myself either.

Always dubious about culturing a starter from a bottle unless it says that it has been unpasturised and bottle conditioned. Could just end up culturing a starter of Larger yeast for all I know.

I may just make a Hefeweisse or Wit for my sister instead

 

[ashley_leask]

I bought a sixpack of this a few weeks ago. It's not a wit, there was none of the colour or the mouthfeel that comes from the raw wheat and none of the spicing either. I'm only guessing and it might not be a good guess but it seemed like a regular style pale ale with about 30-40% wheat added. Tasted like a pretty clean yeast as well, no esters or anything that I noticed. Thought it was OK, but I'd rather try something new than buy it again.

 

[Doctormcbrewdle]

Having just been to the Fremantle brewery, I can confirm both in tasting and word from staff that yeast is a Belgian, 'more than' 50% wheat, BB ale malt, 'noble' hops. None confirmed but Hallertau mentioned. I got more Saaz upon tasting. To 18ibu

 

[shacked]

I would be considering using WY3944 OR WLP400

I use raw wheat in my witbiers but if you aren't prepared to do a cereal or turbid mash, go for flaked wheat and flaked/rolled oats.

 

[hoppy2B]

I've recultured yeast from a couple of stubbies of White Rabbit White Ale and the beer I made tasted like a wit. My advice would be to reculture the yeast from a bottle if you want to make a clone.

 

[peekaboo_jones]

I've recently made a delicious Belgian Wit that I thought was reasonably close to White Rabbit, although next time I'd use bitter orange peel and a bit more coriander.
The recipe was from Jennifer Talley's new book " Session Beers" and the recipe was for an Allagash White Ale.
I'll be making this again very soon.